Winding-indicator for watches.



PATENTED MAY 23. 1905.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.16, 1904.

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Patented May 23, 1905.

PATENT OEEIcE.

JOSEPH MAZER, OF SOUTH MOALESTER, INDIAN TERRITORY.

WINDING-INDICATOR FOR WATCH ES- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 790,510, dated May 23, 1905.

Application filed August 16, 1904. Serial No. 220,955.

To a, whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OSEPH MAZER, a resident of South McAlester, Indian Territory, have invented a new and useful Improvement in WVatch-IVinding Indicators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to an attachment for watches, clocks, and the like which is designed to indicate the extent to which the mainspring is wound, so that the observer may know not only when the spring is fully Wound or when it has run down, but also the extent to which it is wound at any particular moment, and the time when it will require re- Winding.

In the fusee or English-lever watches the winding-arbor turns one way when the watch is being wound and the opposite way when the watch is running, so that it is a simple matter to apply a winding-indicator, as it is only necessary to provide a train leading directly from the winding-arbor to the indicator-shaft, which train, arbor, and indicatorshaft turn one way when the watch is being wound and the opposite way when the watch is running; but in watches in which the winding-arbor after the watch has been wound remains stationary While the ordinary train of the watch is driven from the going or safety barrel it has been difiicult to employ a winding-indicator, as it is not easy to arrange mechanism which will move the indicator when the watch is running to indicate the extent to which the spring is unwound and which will bring the indicator back to Zero when the watch is being wound.

The object of my invention is to provide for watches or clocks having a going or safety barrel mainspring-indicator mechanism which is simple, which cannot get out of order, and which will insure the indicator being brought back through the same distance when winding as it moved forward when the watch or clock is running.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a face view of a watch, showing an indicator for the mainspring. Fig. 2 is a face view of the mechanism for operating this indicator,

and Fig. 3 is a transverse section through the watch-movement and indicator mechanism.

In the drawings, 1 .indicates the dial of the watch; 2, the bottom plate of the movement; 3, the winding-arbor, and 4 the going-barrel in which the mainspring is inclosed with its inner end secured to the winding-arbor and its outer end to the going-barrel. The goingbarrel is provided on its periphery with the gear-teeth 6, which engage with the usual train and drive the watch in the ordinary manner. All of these parts have the ordinary mode of operation, and further explanation thereof is unnecessary.

The dial 1 has on its face the small dial 8, which is marked with suitable designations as, for instance, from Zero (0) to 2t and over which travels the indicator-hand 9. This indicator-hand is connected to the front end of the arbor 10, which projects through the dial and through a bushing 11 in the bottom plate 2 of the watch-movement. For convenience and simplicity I have shown this bushing 11 as forming the center on which revolves the winding-gear 12 of a stem-winding watch; but this is not absolutely necessary.

To the inner end of the arbor is secured a gear or pinion 13, meshing with an idlerpinion 1 1, journaled on the bottom plate 2, and which in turn meshes with a gear or pinion 15, loosely mounted on the winding-arbor 3. Suitably secured to the pinion 15 or formed integral therewith is the larger gear 16, also revolving loosely on the arbor 3 and meshing with a pinion 17, mounted to rotate on astud 18, secured to the going-barrel}. Secured to or formed integral with this pinion 17 is a larger gear 19, which meshes with an idler pinion 20, which in turn meshes with a pinion 21, fixed to the winding-arbor 3. The idler-pinion 20 is mounted on the outer end of an arm 22, the inner end of which arm is mounted on the centers of the pinion 17 and gear 19. The pinion 20 is held yieldingly in mesh with the pinion 21 by means of a spring 23, secured to the barrel and pressing against the outer end of the arm 22. A springpressed click or detent 24 engages the teeth Lil.

of the gear 16 and is so arranged as to permit said gear to rotate freely in one direction,

but to prevent it from rotating in the 0pp0- site direction.

The operation of the mechanism is as follows: We will assume that the watch is run down and that it is to be wound up. In this condition the indicator-hand 9 will be pointing toward the words Wind up on the small dial 8. In winding the watch the goingbarrel 4 becomes the relatively stationary part, while the winding-arbor 3 is rotated by the winding mechanism in the usual way to wind up the mainspring. The pinion 21 is fixed to the winding-arbor, and as a consequence the rotation of the latter, through this pinion 21 and the idler-pinion 20, imparts rotary movement to the gear'19 and through the pinion 17 to the gears 15 and 16, which are loosely mounted on the arbor 3, the detent 24 being so arranged as to permit free rotation of the gear 16 while winding. The gear 15, through theidler 14, rotates the gear 13, which is fixed to the indicator-arbor 10, thus moving the indicator-hand 9 over the dial 8. The size and number of the various gears and pinions are so arranged and proportioned that the indicator-hand 9 will be turned backward over the dial 8 and at just such a rate of speed that by the time the mainspring is fully wound up said hand will point toward the zero-mark on said dial.

When the watch is running, the windingarbor 3 becomes the relatively stationary part, while the going-barrel becomes the rotary part. The barrel will carry with it the planetary gears 17 and 19, and as these are connected to the stationary pinion 21 they would under ordinary circumstances begin to rotate, and thereby impart rotary movement to the gear 16 and to the train leading to the indicator. If this should occur, the indicator would be moved slowly over the dial, but not through the same distance as when the watch is being wound, this being due to the fact that the planetary gears 17 and 19 in addition to the rotary movement given thereto by the uncoiling of the mainspring are also carried around with the barrel, so that the train leading to the indicator would be driven either faster or slower than would be caused by the unwinding of the mainspring itself, depending upon the arrangement of the planetary gears.

With my arrangement, however, the planetary gears take no part in the movement of the indicator when the watch is running, the detent 24 preventing the backward movement of the gear 16 and serving to lock said gear to the barrel, so as to rotate therewith at exactly the same speed as the barrel is turned by the unwinding of the mainspring. As a consequence the train leading to the indicator-hand will be moved precisely as though driven directly from the main barrel itself,

and the rate of movement of said train will in no manner be affected by the planetary movement of the gears 17 and 19 around the winding-arbor. The movement of the gears 20, 19, and 17 around the stationary pinion 21 has a tendency to rotate said gears; but this rotation is prevented by the fixed gear 16. As a consequence the pinion 20 will merely click over the stationary pinion 21, the spring 23, bearing against the arm 22, permitting this idle or yielding movement. The indicator-hand will be driven by the train directly from the gear 16, which moves with the barrel, and said indicator-hand will move over the dial at a slow speed and in the opposite direction from that given to it when winding. This hand will be moved from O to 24 and, if the watch is not wound up, over the words Wind up, when it will indicate to the observer that the watch must be wound. This indicator therefore will enable it to be determined just to what extent the mainspring is still wound up and also at what time the watch must again be wound. Inasmuch as there is no yielding or disengageable gearing between the barrel and the indicator-hand, the movement of the latter will always be positive and accurate.

Instead of using a going-barrel such as illustrated, in which the barrel itself rotates during the running of the watch and the arbor rotates during the winding of the watch, my invention can be applied equally as well to what is known as a safety-barrel, wherein the barrel itself rotates during the winding of the watch, but remains stationary during the running thereof, but-the arbor and head thereof rotate during the winding of the watch, to which arbor the inner end of the mainspring is connected. I intend,therefore, by the term going-barrel as used in my claims to include not only the going-barrel illustrated, but also a safety-barrel.

What I claim is- 1. In a watch or the like, the combination with the mainspring, and a going-barrel and winding-arbor connected to the opposite ends thereof, of an indicator to show the condition of the mainspring, a pinion connected to the winding-arbor, a gear connected to said pinion and mounted on the going-barrel, and gearing connecting said last-named gear with the indicator, said gearing comprising a gear mounted concentric with the barrel, and means for locking the same to said barrel while the watch is running.

2. In a watch or the like, the combination with a mainspring, and a going-barrel and winding-arbor connected to the opposite ends thereof, of an indicator to show the condition of the mainspring, a pinion secured to the winding-arbor, planetary gearing connected to said pinion and mounted on the going-barrel, and gearing connecting said planetary gearing with the indicator, said gearing comprising a gear mounted concentric with the barrel, and means for locking the same to the barrel while the watch is running.

3. In a watch or the like, the combination with a mainspring, and a going-barrel and winding-arbor connected to the opposite ends thereof, of an indicator to show the condition of the mainspring, a pinion secured to the winding-arbor, a gear connected to said pinion and mounted on the going-barrel, a gear connected with said last named gear and mounted concentric with the barrel, a click engaging said concentric gear and arranged to allow it to freely rotate when the watch is being wound and to lock the same to the barrel when the watch is running, and gearing connecting said last-named gear with the indicator.

4:. In a Watch or the like, the combination with a mainspring, and a going-barrel and winding-arbor connected to the opposite ends thereof, of an indicator to show the condition of the mainspring, a pinion secured to the winding-arbor, a planetary gearing mounted on the barrel and connected to said pinion, a gear connected to said planetary gearing and mounted concentric with the barrel, means for locking said last-named gear to the barrel when the watch is running, yielding means in the train between said gear and the pinion fixed to the winding-arbor, and gearing connecting said gear with the indicator.

5. In a watch or the like, the combination with the mainspring, and a going-barrel and winding-arbor connected to the opposite ends thereof, of an indicator to show the condition of the mainspring, a pinion secured to the winding-arbor, planetary gears mounted on the barrel, a pinion meshing therewith and mounted on movable bearings, a spring for pressing said last-named pinion against the pinion secured to the winding-arbor, a gear connected to the planetary gears and mounted concentric with the barrel, a detent arranged to lock said gear to the barrel when the watch is running, and gearing connecting said lastnamed gear with the indicator.

In testimony whereof I, the said JOSEPH MAZER, have hereunto set my hand.

JOSEPH MAZER.

Witnesses:

P. D. CI'IASTAIN, ALBERT W. JONES. 

